History of the hospital

Dr. H. Gordon Roberts Hospital had very humble beginnings. In 1913 the hospital’s founder Dr. H. G. Roberts, a medical missionary from Wales, arrived in Shillong with his wife. He started working for a small dispensary in the town a few months before the start of the first World War. He noticed that the sick in town were extremely unwilling to become in-patients at a hospital. 

However, he understood the necessity of having adequate in-patient facilities for the best treatment. With this in mind, he then approached the Government of Assam for a grant to start construction of a hospital in Shillong noting the needs of the people. This grant was refused but that did not stop Dr. Roberts. He began the hospital as a two roomed cottage where he and another doctor would tend to patients. In 1919, after much persistence from Dr Roberts, the Government forwarded a grant towards the building of the hospital.

On March 25th 1922, amid much pomp and gaiety, the hospital opened its doors for the first time. Initially it was a 90 bedded hospital and today it stands strong having 350 beds registered under Registration of Societies Act 1860 and Nursing Home Licensing and Registration Act 1993 covering an area of over 14 acres. 

For many years it was one of the very few institutions in Assam that could perform major surgeries. Dr. Roberts along with Miss M. Buckley, who looked after the nurses training, worked tirelessly to realise the needs of the people in Shillong.

The hospital has played host to several important dignitaries throughout its time. Viceroys and Governor Generals of India who had visited the hospital were left moved by the mission.

Dr. R.A. Hughes became another important figure in the hospital’s history. He arrived in Shillong in 1939 and began, almost immediately, lending his expertise to the hospital. In 1960 Dr. Hughes started a scheme of encouraging Khasi Students to take up M.B.B.S courses by giving a scholarship for successful candidates. The tradition of encouraging the staff to take up specialised education is still happening at the hospital. Sponsorships are provided from the hospital not only for the doctors but for any other staff who would like to continue their studies. In 1962 the hospital was officially handed over to the K.J.P Synod where a Managing Committee was established to assist the doctors.

The hospital has a long history of conducting travelling dispensaries. The hospital knew that there was a need for nurses and doctors in remote villages where the villagers were unable or unwilling to come into the town for treatment. The doctors and nurses would visit various villages on market days to provide healthcare and treatment to patients who couldn’t afford to visit the hospital. The South Wales Missionary Auxiliary made a donation for buying a motor car on which local carpenters built a dispensary body. This was the beginning of the Travelling Dispensary in 1947 lovingly called the “Buckley Memorial Dispensary”.

The travelling dispensary paved the way for the establishment of the Rural Health Centres in various locations across Meghalaya. The Rural Health Centres have been of a tremendous help to patients in the villages and to date they are run successfully.